Ja'Tavion Sanders

Viewed as the consensus No. 2 tight end, Texas' Ja'Tavion Sanders just turned 21 years old. He broke out very early in his college career at age 19 during the 2022 season, posting a 21% dominator rating with 5 TDs, 54 receptions (7th in the nation) and 613 receiving yards.
In 2023, he was still extremely efficient even with his counting stats falling amid an ankle injury and competition from two projected Round 1 WRs - Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell. He recorded zero drops on 67 targets and finished 3rd in total YAC among the 2024 tight end class. He averaged over 15 yards per catch - second highest in the class (15.2) - with his downfield presence. But he wasn't featured in the red zone.
Sanders isn't a complete blocker - much more of a tight end receiver type - but he has enough athleticism to be a solid receiving threat at the next level. There's room for Sanders to grow given his youth. The Panthers are a very sneaky fantasy football landing spot for a tight end - given that Dave Canales "awarded" Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton an elite role in 2023. The Bucs tight end played nearly every single snap and ran a route on 80% of the dropbacks (3rd among TEs). Look out for Ja'Tavion Sanders in a full-time receiving role for the Panthers. Sorry Tommy Tremble.

Ja'Tavion Sanders caught his lone target for four yards in the Panthers' 47-10 loss to the Saints.

Fantasy Impact

Sanders did not command a significant target share in his NFL debut. The rookie tight end could continue to see an increased snap count if Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) is unable to suit up in Week 2 against the Chargers.